Sunday, 2 February 2014

UN Experts Alarmed by Iran Hangings as UK Halts Bill

More than
40 people were hanged in Iran in the first 22 days of this year, senior United
Nations officials have just revealed. In a report just published on human
rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed and Christopher Heyns said there had been a surge
in summary executions in Iran. Those put to death included a number of people
accused of acting against national security. The two UN Special Raporteurs
called on Tehran to put an immediate halt to any further hangings.

According to the UN
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the majority of the
executions were for drug-related offences; however, a number of detainees were
executed for the crime of ‘Moharabeh’ (enmity against God), or acting against
national security. The Iranian Government has in the past used this charge to
execute anti-government protestors, and any other person who publicly criticises
the establishment. The great massacre of 1988 in Iran saw the Ayatollah regime summarily
execute thousands of prisoners over five months for politically opposing the
newly established Islamic regime as a result of the 1979 revolution, and unilaterally
labelled them as members of the MEK, a fundamental Islamic guerrilla
organisation who endorse a Marxist ideology. However, monarchists; socialists
and leftists were also executed, charged by the regime as being MEK members.

The protests following
the disputed 2009 Presidential elections also had its share of arbitrary
arrests, detentions and an on-site shoot to kill policy as fierce reprisal
against those protesting peacefully in the streets. During his Friday prayer
sermon in 2009, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had warned that if the people of
Iran did not end their street protests and return to their homes, the ensuing
“bloodshed and chaos” would be the “opposition leaders’ responsibility”.

In a press release,
Rapporteur Heyns commented “We are dismayed at the continued application of the
death penalty with alarming frequency by the authorities, despite repeated
calls for Iran to establish a moratorium on executions”. Heyns further
commented that “the inherently cruel, inhuman and degrading nature of the death
penalty” demonstrates that the Government is proceeding with executions that
fail to meet the established standard threshold of the ‘most serious crimes’ as
required by international law.

Rapporteur Shaheed expressed
deep concern at the increase in executions of political activists and
individuals from ethnic minority groups, stating “the persistent execution of
individuals for exercising their rights to freedom of assembly, association,
and affiliation to minority groups contravenes universally accepted human
rights principles and norms”.

The Special Rapporteurs
urged the Government of Iran, as an active member of the international
community, to heed the calls for a moratorium on executions, especially in
cases relating to political activists and alleged drug-offences.

“We urge the Iranian
authorities at least to restrict the use of the death penalty to what is
permissible as an exception under international law, and namely to limit its
imposition only for the crime of intentional killing, and to respect
stringently international standards guaranteeing fair trial and due process for
those facing the death penalty”.

Unlike Iran and China,
who have the highest rates of executions in the world, the UK abolished the
imposition of the death penalty ‘in all circumstances’ in 1998; however, the
last execution took place in 1964, where Peter Allen was executed for the
murder of John West. In 1965, Labour MP Sydney Silverman commenced a Bill to
abolish capital punishment, which was passed by both Houses of Parliament. On
24th June, 2013, a Bill titled the ‘Capital Punishment Bill 2013-14’
was presented to Parliament calling for the reinstatement of Capital Punishment
for certain offences. The Bill was sponsored by Mr. Philip Hollobone; however,
it was not discussed and was shortly withdrawn without a view to progressing
further.

As a result of the 13th Protocol to the European Convention
on Human Rights, the UK is prohibited from reinstating capital punishment for
as long as it is party to the Convention.

For many, it is with
relief that the proposed reinstatement of being hanged at the gallows in the UK
was halted and withdrawn; for others, it is a continued concern that the
ceaseless execution of detainees in Iran is increasing.

Washington is currently
in negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear programme; perhaps the
international community will one day negotiate a better human rights record for
a country that descended from the empire of King Cyrus
the Great of Persia, whose ‘Cyrus Cylinder’ bears history's first ever charter of human rights. A replica of the Cyrus Cylinder with the inscription of the charter can be
found above the entrance to the UN Headquarters in New York.

1 comment:

• Again, the Iranian regime has been brought to the table because of sanctions. No we’re going to give the Iranians a $6 billion payday for simply being polite? No amount of hopeful talk can alter the very basic and fundamental forces at work in Iran. As a religious government, Iran is driven by its core Shiite philosophy and convictions as it battles Sunni-led nations for regional supremacy. Unfortunately there is no separation of church and state in Iran. The mosque IS the state. Imagine if you will, if the US was a religious government led by hardline Christian conservatives and all members of Congress had to be members of the church and the President of the US answered to the head of the church. You don’t think the rest

About Me

The gross injustices and violations of human rights are enough to bring anyone's blood to boiling point. Why, then, must we allow ourselves to take a seat as if in a theatre, adopting the role of spectator? One must share information, inspiring action. One must become part of the machine that progresses towards a positive change.